Like many Mississauga residents, I have always loved The Beatles ever since I was a little kid. My dad immigrated from the Liverpool port at the height of their fame and introduced me to his favourite childhood band from the time before I even knew what music was. I would dutifully copy out the lyrics to their songs, organize them alphabetically and memorize them by heart. But never once did I ever think that my little city of Mississauga (ok- it seemed a lot smaller back then) had anything whatsoever to do with the Fab Four. And boy, was I wrong! Well, kind of.

There are a lot of twists and shouts…ok, twists and turns here but stay with me, okay?

It all started with the birth of Sir William “Billy” Heygate Butlin in South Africa in 1899. He moved to Toronto in 1913 and enlisted in the First World War in 1915. He promptly joined up with the 170th Mississauga Horse Battalion and sailed to England. I should note here that the Mississauga Horse Battalion was technically stationed out of Toronto not Mississauga, and Mississauga did not even exist at that time, we were known as Toronto Township, but I’m going to say close enough, ok? So, he travelled to France and served as a stretcher bearer during the battles at Vimy Ridge, Ypres, Arras, and Cambrai. However, it is what happens after his service that is most significant for me. He visits his mom back in Toronto and while there, he witnesses a family resort with kids and parents all playing together and he gets an idea: he is going to build family-friendly, all-age camps and resorts in the UK. His debut “Butlin’s” camp in 1936 was the first of its kind anywhere in the UK, and it quickly grows to 10 camps across the British Isles.

Fast forward to 1954. The McCartney family decided to stay at a Butlin’s camp for some family fun. There, 12-year-old Paul McCartney and his 10-year-old brother Michael decided to sign up for a talent show offered by the camp, and they sing a song from their favourite band, The Everley Brothers. And they won! Ok, just kidding, they actually famously lost to an old woman playing spoons! That being said, Paul later remarked that the woman and her spoons were a mighty dynamic duo. But it was experiences like this that would set young Paul on the road to honing and practicing his musical talents. Perhaps next time he would beat out a fork and knife! Nevertheless, he never forgot his foray on the Butlin’s stage. A few years later, a 15-year-old Paul McCartney would call up Butlin’s again to inquire about securing a gig for the Quarrymen (the precursor to The Beatles we all know and love today).

Indeed, that is how many young musicians made a name for themselves at the time, including young Liverpudlian and drummer Richard Starkey. He was a regular on the Butlin’s stage as a member of Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (Richard being but one of the hurricanes aforementioned). It was on the Butlin’s stage too that Richard Starkey adopted the stage name “Ringo Starr”. John, Paul, and George knew Ringo previously as he had occasionally played the drums for them when they were down a Beatle, so when Pete Best was ousted in 1962, they knew who they needed to call. George called Starr’s mother to inquire where he was. Surprise, surprise, he was at Butlin’s. Ringo then received a call at Butlin’s from The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. Ringo later recalled that fateful phone call: “I was with Rory and we went away to play another holiday camp and I got a call (asking if I) would join The Beatles. This was Wednesday and I said when? And Brian Epstein said Today!”

Fast Forward to September 7, 1964. The Beatles are now international pop stars the likes of which the world has never seen. Canadians anxiously await their first concert in Toronto. More than 10,000 teens descend upon Toronto International Airport hoping to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four. Despite its name, Toronto (Pearson) International Airport is in Mississauga’s aviation hub – Malton. Back before our amalgamation in 1974, Malton was just another small village in the Toronto Township (historic Mississauga), and a lot sleepier than it is today. Certainly, Malton was not ready for what was approaching. High up above the skies of historic Mississauga were four Liverpudlians sitting in the rear of a Lockheed L-188 Electra dubiously pondering a statement their handler had said before boarding the plane. Things would be different in Toronto (Malton, actually). Canadian girls were calm, demure, and polite, nothing like the hordes of screaming teens they had met around the world. It would be different. However, they were not convinced, and rightfully so.

The plane touched down in Malton at 12:15 AM, drowned out by the sound of screaming. If The Beatles had been prepared, we were not. The plane taxied to a discreet hanger where customs agents and a police escort were waiting. The crowd surged toward the 60-metre chain-link fence, grasping for a glance at The Beatles. One-by-one, teens dropped to the ground, overcome by their emotions. 36 fainting teens had to be treated by St. John Ambulance. Meanwhile, the police urged for calm and quiet to no avail. The fence bent and groaned as police tried desperately to hold them back. Quick as anything, The Beatles jumped in a car and the police escort took off towards their hotel, the King Edward Sheraton on King Street. Martin Bridgman was an officer on scene that day. He remembers the sound of the crowd that seemed to follow him! It seemed impossible, but it was true. “We knew we were in trouble,” he later remembered, “But we didn’t really have a plan.” By the time the escort reached the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way), they were speeding at 160 km/h and yet, each time Bridgman looked back, there was a bumper just inches away from his Harley 74! They reached the hotel by 1 AM.

Interestingly, the next day The Beatles gave an interview and were asked about their speedy ride in. Ringo responded, “Very good, one of the best actually”. As none of this seemed at all normal except to the pop stars, the reporter retorted, “What do you mean by one of the best?” Thanking the local police, Ringo replied, “Well, it was well-organized with the police escort, you know.” At least the four lads had appreciated Martin Bridgman and his fellow officers. In that same interview, the reporter commented that Paul was a favourite in Toronto, to which McCartney quipped, “I thought Ringo was.” I am going to go out on a limb here and say he was spot-on for one and only one reason: did you know that at Pearson airport, there is a therapy dog named “Ringo Starr”? Yes! The fab pooch claims that, “All I need to do is act naturally to make your day at Toronto Pearson”. Well, that and the fact that when The Beatles left the next day to continue their grueling tour schedule, a voice was distinctly heard amid the roar of the engines and the rattling of the fence screaming, “Rin-go! Rin-go! Come back!”

However, little did they know, but there was probably one woman in Mississauga who was happy to see them leave - sort of. But to tell that story, I have to go back to Liverpool in 1959. Dorothy “Dot” Rhone met John Lennon and Paul McCartney at the Casbah Club in Liverpool. They were young, handsome and their rock-and-roll lifestyle with the Quarrymen attracted the Liverpool bank worker. She was initially drawn to the older Lennon, but when she realized he was with Cynthia Powell (later Cynthia Lennon), she turned her sights on the younger McCartney. After a few hints, he finally caught on and asked her out. They quickly became quite the item. It was the first serious relationship for both Rhone and McCartney. However, she found it hard to keep up with Lennon and McCartney’s fast-lipped quips and jabs, and her meek, quiet personality was quickly overcome by Paul’s overbearing personality.

She found that this new relationship had many rules. She couldn’t see her friends, then she couldn’t smoke, then she had to dye her hair blonde and sport a short, tight miniskirt. But she was smitten and wanted to make him happy, so she complied. Years later, Paul addressed his inappropriate behaviour towards Rhone saying, “At the time everyone was trying to turn their girlfriend into a bargain basement [Brigitte] Bardot. […] We were all smitten. So the girls had to be blonde, look rather like Brigitte and preferably pout a lot. John and I used to have these secret talks intimating, although not actually saying it, that we could be quite happy for our girlfriends to be Liverpool’s answer to Bardot. My girlfriend was called Dot and, of course, John had Cynthia. We got them both to go blonde and wear miniskirts. It’s terrible really. But that’s the way it was.”

For following his rules, he lavished Rhone with gifts. She remembers that despite his rules, he was kind and caring.

Then, sometime in 1961, Dot became pregnant. Having been conceived from love, Paul bought Dot a gold ring and was ready to “do the right thing”. The two were engaged, but after three months, she had a miscarriage, and the wedding was cancelled. She was heartbroken. When he left for Hamburg, Germany later that year with the band, she worried she would never see him again. However, she soon found herself a little relieved. No more rules, no more watchful eyes on her. She was free. Nevertheless, she missed him and as he missed her.

Among the love songs he wrote for her, “PS I Love You” was written for Dot during their time apart. The song would later be featured on their debut 1963 album Please, Please Me that launched them to international stardom. Among the lyrics are the words:

As I write this letter, send my love to you

Remember that I'll always be in love with you

Treasure these few words 'til we're together

Keep all my love forever

P.S. I love you, you, you, you

Yet, the reality was something a little different. Paul’s life was becoming centrally focused on The Beatles and he and Rhone began drifting apart. In the summer of 1962, faced with either settling down or The Beatles, he chose the latter. In hindsight, Dot knew it was inevitable and ultimately the right decision. But both Dot and Paul were heartbroken, nonetheless. Trying to restart her life, Dot joined the Civil Service, but she could never escape visions of her past. On every billboard and plastered on the mouth of every girl around the country was her ex. “It was Beatles, Beatles, Beatles,” she recalled, “I couldn’t escape.” Therefore, in 1964, she made the decision to move to Canada and start over. Four days after arriving, she met her future husband and they settled in Mississauga. That’s right, Mississauga of all places.

Rhone briefly saw Paul again when The Beatles played a gig in Toronto in 1965 and again in 1976 when The Wings played at Maple Leaf Gardens. Paul invited Dot and her family to the show and the two former lovers had a chance to sit down afterwards and get the closure they both deserved. Then in 1994, Cynthia Lennon arrived in Toronto for Beatlerama. Dot’s old friend had vowed she would keep in touch but did not know where in Canada Dot would be living. She had no sooner asked the organizer to track her down (which was no easy feat before the internet) than Dot herself had called the Beatlerama hotline! Low and behold, she was still living in nearby Mississauga! A reunion was quickly arranged for October 7, 1994, at the Doubletree Hilton Hotel on Dixon Road, only a stone’s throw from Malton and the airport. They met as dear friends and Cynthia revealed she had a surprise for her. She was finally able to return the gold ring Paul had gifted Rhone all those years ago, which had been left back in Liverpool. Dot accepted it for the second time, a sign of a past she had left behind long ago.

However, some have been less than kind to the memory of Dot and Paul’s budding romance. In Barry Miles’ official 1997 biography Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now, Dot’s importance in Paul’s early life was downplayed as if simple eye candy hanging onto the coat tails of the rising star. Her name was even spelled wrong. But Dot would always know the truth, saying, “Maybe I didn’t mean that much to him after all - but I don’t really believe that. I know that, for a few years at least, I did”. Now a mother and grandmother, Dot Rhone (now going by her married name) continues to live quietly in Mississauga, as best we know.

Just as Dot had found closure and peace in Mississauga, so too did another Beatle – the one and only John Lennon. Back in September of 1969, John Lennon again landed at Toronto International Airport (in Malton). Unlike the clean-shaven mop top that had visited in 1964, this Lennon wore long hair, a thick beard and was accompanied always by his new bride Yoko Ono (he had divorced Cynthia the year prior). Not only had his appearance changed, but so too had his opinions on The Beatles. He was burnt out, frustrated, disillusioned and looking for a way out. He had not performed on a large stage for three years and certainly not without his fellow Beatles. But he was convinced to do so now. He had been sick for hours, could barely sing and had only practiced the set once on the plane to Malton – what could go wrong?

As he started the rock-and-roll set with the likes of Eric Clapton and Alan White, the Toronto crowd was greeted to ear-piercing shrieks from Yoko Ono. Canadian artist and Mississauga resident Ronnie Hawkins had been a fellow act and had witnessed the Plastic Ono Band that night. He later remembered the crowd of 25,000’s response in his 1989 autobiography stating, “As hip as everyone there tried to be, Yoko was too much.” However, Lennon hardly noticed. He was on cloud nine. He had gotten up on stage without The Beatles and even more miraculously, it had not killed him. In fact, he later said of the concert, “I never felt so good in all my life.” There could – and would – be a life after The Beatles. He hightailed it back to England soon after. Ringo Starr explained what happened next in The Beatles Anthology in 2000: “After the Plastic Ono Band’s debut in Toronto we had a meeting in Savile Row where John finally brought it to its head. He said, ‘Well, that’s it lads. Let’s end it.’ And we all said ‘Yes’.”

When John and Yoko returned to Canada for their “Peace Tour” later that year, he was looking for a sanctuary away from the gawking press demanding to know the status of The Beatles. The news of their break-up would not yet be known by the public until 1970, and Lennon was keen to avoid any pointed questions in lieu of some much-needed rest and relaxation. Though Rompin’ Ronnie Hawkins had never been formally introduced to Lennon, he remembered that fateful concert earlier that year and invited him to stay at his 10-acre property in Mississauga. Hawkins had purchased the “Braeburn” property along Mississauga Road, north of Burnhamthorpe Road in Streetsville in 1967 at the height of his musical career. It was discreet, quiet, and away from prying eyes – perfect.

Lennon, who knew all of Hawkins’ records, graciously agreed and Hawkins accompanied them on the train back to Streetsville on December 9, 1969. John was particularly fond of the snowmobiles on the property and much of his time there was spent racing around the snowy property. This story was corroborated by Streetsville residents who remembered John Lennon zipping up and down Mississauga Road with Yoko hanging onto the back of the snowmobile. They left Streetsville on December 22, 1969.

Though their stay was short, Lennon had accomplished much in Canada. He had famously brought his message of peace all the way to Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and had conducted a lengthy interview at Hawkins’ home with CBC, further spreading his message of love to Canadians. John was also able to pen an early version of the song “Imagine” in Streetsville (though in truth there were many versions that were penned before the iconic song was finalized). Further, he had made allies here in Canada. Ronnie Hawkins later toured as a peace ambassador at John Lennon’s request for his “Love Not War” message. Most important of all, Mississauga had taught him that there was a life after The Beatles and that there were those who were willing to help and support him.

From their beginnings at Butlin’s of Mississauga Horse fame, to their arrival in Malton as superstars, to finding peace and love here, Mississauga has played host to The Beatles in many unlikely ways. If you want to learn more about Canadian connections to The Beatles, I would highly recommend reading Us and Them: Canada, Canadians and The Beatles by John Robert Arnone. It is a fascinating read and helped tremendously when writing this twisted tale.

If you love the swinging ‘60s as much as I do, then I have an exciting opportunity for you! You are cordially invited to Heritage Mississauga’s The Credits Awards Gala on November 2, 2023. The theme is “Good Vibrations,” so bring out your rose-coloured glasses, peace signs and bellbottoms as we rock the night away while honouring our cultural and heritage heroes here in Mississauga!
To purchase tickets, click here!